Graham Jesse Winchester (born October 4, 1983) is a Canadian former professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player. After graduating from

Colgate University Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York. The college was founded in 1819 as the Baptist Education Society of the State of New York and operated under that name until 1823, when it was renamed Hamilton Theologi ...

in 2008, Winchester turned professional, signing with the

Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...

. He also played professional ice hockey with

Jokerit Helsingin Jokerit (English: Jokers or Jesters) are a professional ice hockey team based in Helsinki, Finland. The team won six league championships as a member of the Finnish SM-liiga (1973, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, and 2002). Jokerit plays its ...

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

and the

Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...

during his career, which lasted from 2008 to 2014.

Playing career

Winchester was born in

Long Sault, Ontario Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mensur ...

. He played junior hockey with the

Cornwall Colts The Cornwall Colts are a Canadian junior ice hockey team from Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the Central Canada Hockey League. Before 1992, they were known as the Massena Americans, and moved to Cornwall in 1992 when the Cornwall ...

of the

Central Junior A Hockey League The Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL) is a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey league operating in eastern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Hockey Eastern Ontario and Hockey Canada and is a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League ...

, and was then offered a full hockey scholarship, and he subsequently played four seasons of

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

hockey with

. He was an ECAC All-Star in 2007–08 as well as Colgate's

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

. On March 25, 2008, after graduating from Colgate, Winchester signed with the NHL's Ottawa Senators and began his pro career. Winchester made his NHL debut with Ottawa in the 2007–08 season, playing in a single game against the

Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...

on March 29, 2008, registering no points and two penalty minutes. Due to stipulations in the league's

collective bargaining agreement A collective agreement, collective labour agreement (CLA) or collective bargaining agreement (CBA) is a written contract negotiated through collective bargaining for employees by one or more trade unions with the management of a company (or with an ...

, Winchester was ineligible to play in the 2008 NHL playoffs. He then made the Senators lineup out of training camp in 2008–09, though a recurring

shoulder The human shoulder is made up of three bones: the clavicle (collarbone), the scapula (shoulder blade), and the humerus (upper arm bone) as well as associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. The articulations between the bones of the shoulder mak ...

injury hampered Winchester throughout his rookie NHL season. Winchester re-signed with the Senators on July 3, 2010, to a two-year deal. In the 2011–12 season, Winchester suffered a serious

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

injury in late December 2011 after a hit from Buffalo’s

Paul Gaustad Paul Michael Gaustad (born February 3, 1982) is an American former professional ice hockey centerman who played for the Nashville Predators and Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is nicknamed "Goose." Playing career Junior Ga ...

which sidelined him for most of the season. He finally returned to the Ottawa lineup on April 1, 2012, coincidentally the same game in which the Senators clinched a playoff spot. With the

2012 NHL lockout 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

affecting his status as a free agent, Winchester signed a lockout contract with

TuTo TUTO Hockey (Turun Toverit) is a Finnish ice hockey team based at the Kupittaan jäähalli (capacity 2,875, inauguration in November 2006). Established in 1929, TUTO plays in Turku, Finland, and is one of two clubs in that city (the other being ...

of the Finnish

Mestis Mestis (from fi, Mestaruussarja, meaning 'Championship series') is the second-highest men's ice hockey league in Finland. The league was established by the Finnish Ice Hockey Association in 2000 to replace the I-divisioona ('First Division'). ...

on November 13, 2012. After scoring 10 points in 11 games and with limited NHL interest, Winchester opted to remain in Finland and was elevated to the

SM-liiga The SM-liiga (marketed as just Liiga from 2013 on), (Finnish for ''League'') colloquially called the Finnish Elite League in English or FM-ligan in Swedish, is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. It is one of the six founding leagu ...

club,

for the remainder of the

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

season on January 27, 2013. On July 5, 2013, Winchester marked his return to the NHL in signing a one-year contract with the

. In the 2013–14 season, Winchester made an impression on as a defensive forward who killed penalties for the Panthers. He also contributed offensively to post a career high 9 goals and 18 points in 52 games. On July 1, 2014, Winchester was signed as a free agent to a two-year contract with the Colorado Avalanche. In the 2014–15 pre-season, Winchester suffered a concussion after a hit from

Dennis Wideman Dennis Earl Wideman (born March 20, 1983) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). Wideman was drafted in the eighth round, 241st overall, by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2002 NHL Entry ...

of the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

. Although initially optimistic on recovery, Winchester's symptoms persisted until he was cleared to travel with the team on March 27, 2015. Winchester suffered a setback after training with the club, and was effectively ruled out from the remainder of the season preventing him from making his Avalanche debut. In the lead up to the 2015–16 season, Winchester was cleared in full to participate in the Avalanche's training camp. However upon resumption of full training, Winchester's concussion symptoms flared up prior to pre-season games and he was again placed on the injury reserve, ruled out indefinitely. By November, Winchester had left the team and returned home to continue his recovery effectively marking the end of his tenure without ever appearing with the Avalanche.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Awards and honours

Transactions

* March 28, 2008 - Signed as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

by the

. * May 29, 2008 - Signed a two-year contract with Ottawa Senators. * July 3, 2010 - Signed a two-year contract with Ottawa Senators * November 13, 2012 - Signed a contract with

of Finnish

league * January 25, 2013 - Transferred to

of Finnish

league * July 5, 2013 - Signed a one-year contract with Florida Panthers * July 1, 2014 - Signed a two-year contract with Colorado Avalanche

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Winchester, Jesse 1983 births Living people Binghamton Senators players Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in Finland Canadian ice hockey centres Colgate Raiders men's ice hockey players Florida Panthers players Ice hockey people from Ontario Jokerit players Ottawa Senators players People from the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry TuTo players Undrafted National Hockey League players